Celestial Chronicles 02: Sudden Command
by MartyCessna
Summary: The fleet comes under attack unexpectedly, leaving the Galactica without a command crew. Who will step up to the post and save the human race? Sequel to The Dark Veil


Battlestar Galactica: The Celeste Chronicles

Episode #01 Sudden Command

Writer: E.B. O'Neal

12/02/05

Celeste twitched uneasily in her brand new dress uniform. She tried not to fidget, but she wasn't used to such fancy clothes. However, fidgeting wouldn't be an appropriate thing to do in front of thousands of people. An image of a daggit on a sunspot flashed through Celeste's mind. Right at that moment, she'd rather be the daggit. The young woman looked out over the crowd. She tried to smile at the videocomm cameras, which she knew were transmitting her image to every ship in the fleet.

She suppressed a fidget.

Standing in the bright lights of the stage on the media ship was not Celeste's idea of a fulfilling use of time. She'd rather be flying her Viper fighter on patrol with her pilot friends. Or playing cards in the Officers' Lounge onboard the _Galactica_. Or even tidying the small quarters she shared with the female shuttle pilots. Almost anything was better than embarrassing herself in front of the entire fleet!

Celeste's brother, Starbuck, stood next to her. He seemed only slightly more comfortable than Celeste. Apollo's younger brother Zac stood on the other side of Celeste. He was frowning and standing stiffly. He appeared ready to topple over at any minute.

_Poor guy isn't used to being back in the fleet yet,_ thought Celeste, _I remember _that _feeling. At least I didn't have to stand up on stage with 200 other nervous warriors! _They had all come through a horrible ordeal, and it would take time for them to recover and adjust back to warrior life. Even Celeste still had haunting memories from her first time on the Cylon basestar many yahrens ago. Long after she was asleep at night, she often re-experienced the worst parts of the three yahrens she'd been held captive. Her nightmares made it impossible to forget what these warriors had been through.

Celeste snapped back to attention as Commander Adama strode up to the podium at the center of the stage. As the commander of the Battlestar _Galactica _and the leader of the Colonial fleet, Adama was accustomed to addressing crowds of people. He seemed to make eye contact with every single person watching, then he began to speak.

"My friends and fellow survivors. We have assembled here today to celebrate a victory. A victory that we won in a battle that we were not aware of until recently. Every member of every ship in this fleet knows this enemy, but it is by far best known to these brave warriors. Each pilot you see here on this stage behind me was at one time lost to us. They would have remained lost, except that one person enacted a plan of rescue."

Celeste gave up trying to hide her anxiousness and shifted in her boots.

Adama continued, " This person was willing to risk everything to bring our lost warriors back to us, even when no one would believe in her or her plan." His face softened, " And by some miracle, she succeeded. There is no doubt in my mind that these 234 pilots would not be here if it were not for the heroic actions…"

Adama paused. Colonel Tigh stepped onto the stage.

"…of Lt. Celeste."

Tigh moved to stand next to Adama. Celeste could feel her normally light-skinned face growing red. She took a deep breath and tried to relax without collapsing.

"Therefore it is our honor and privilege to recognize the courage of Lt. Celeste, and to accept her into the Colonial Warrior forces of the Battlestar _Galactica_. She will be allowed to join the Viper squadron of her choice, following a one-secton furlon."

All of the audience clapped and cheered as Celeste walked up to Colonel Tigh and Commander Adama. Colonel Tigh formally shook her hand, nodding at her. Celeste gave him a small smile and turned to the commander. Adama clasped her hand in a strong grip. His eyes smiled at her. Then he made a subtle signal that it was _her _turn at the podium.

_Felgercarb! _Celeste thought, alarmed, _I didn't know I'd have to give a speech! Um, what should I say? All these people are staring at me. They expect me to say __something__…_

"Hi," Celeste said to the now-silent crowd. The people stared at her blankly.

_Hi? Wow, that was inspired. _Celeste silently chided herself.

"Uh, I just wanted to say that this is one of the best moments in my career as a Colonial Warrior."

_Oh, good, Lieutenant. Lie to the entire fleet!_

"And I'm looking forward to.."

_What am I looking forward to? Hightailing it back to the _Galactica._ I probably shouldn't say that. _

"To continuing to perform my occupation, uh, indefinitely in the protection of the human race." The girl pilot bit her lip.

_I have no idea what I just said. I lost me at "continuing". _

"So, um, have a nice senton."

Celeste practically ran off the stage, as dignifiedly as she could force herself to be. The audience clapped politely and unenthusiastically at her "speech". Blushing, Celeste snuck off to the only quiet place she could think of.

"Hey, hero, what are you doing in here all alone?" Apollo entered the shuttle where Celeste sat.

She rolled her deep blue eyes, "Remind me never to let them honor me again." She sighed.

Apollo smiled, "People need heroes."

"And they're welcome to find one. As long as it isn't me," Celeste answered.

"I would've thought you'd be happier about all this," Apollo sat down beside her.

Celeste frowned, "Well, I am…and I'm not. I'm glad the people appreciate it when someone does something for them, but I didn't do it for _them_."

"Who did you do it for?" Apollo asked, curious.

"Truthfully?" Celeste thoughtfully shook her head, "Starbuck…myself…"She looked directly into Apollo's eyes, "You."

Apollo studied her face, then quickly looked elsewhere, "Well, whoever you did it for, the fleet owes you. A lot," he said.

Celeste made a face, "I just wish they wouldn't try so hard to repay me!"

"Is it really that bad?" Apollo laughingly asked.

Celeste's eyes opened exaggeratedly wide, "You heard that acceptance speech I made! It was pathetic! I'm just not a spontaneous public speaker."

"So you're not planning on becoming a commander someday, huh?" Apollo teased.

"Are you kidding?" cried Celeste, "And give up flying Vipers with you guys? Not a chance!" She shook her head.

"So, now you can fly with any squadron in the fleet. Which one were you planning on joining?" Apollo asked the woman pilot.

Celeste's cocky grin returned, "Oh, I don't know…of course Blue Squadron! That is, if it's alright with the captain."

Apollo nodded, "I'm sure it will be." He smiled at her.

For the first time in her life, Celeste found that her eyes were lost in someone _else's._ Unaccustomed to that feeling, she stood awkwardly to her feet. Apollo abruptly looked at the floor.

_What am I doing? _Apollo thought,_ Celeste is…Celeste! She's one of my lieutenants, and she's Starbuck's sister! What about Serina? I still miss her so much… _

"Well, uh…I better go. I can't miss my own party," Celeste hesitated.

"Yeah, you better get out there," Apollo said.

Celeste nodded dazedly and headed for the shuttlecraft door. Then she remembered something.

"Are you coming, Captain?" she asked.

"Um, yeah." Apollo answered, sounding slightly sad, "I'll be there in a moment."

Celeste nodded again and hesitantly exited, leaving Apollo to sort out his feelings.

The media ship _Hermes _was filled with people, all of whom wanted to thank Celeste for rescuing their loved ones from the Cylons. And they all wanted to thank her _at the same time_. Celeste's hand was tired of being shaken. Her mouth was tired of smiling. She was anxious to get out of her dress uniform.

Unfortunately, she had only greeted the _first_ bulkhead of grateful people.

Celeste's politeness was wearing thin. No longer able to think rationally, she ducked under several thankful couples and crawled along the floor to hide under a table. She just couldn't take any more gratitude!

When the young heroine began thinking clearly again, she realized that she was hiding under a table. She then sincerely hoped that no one had noticed her undignified disappearance. She peeked out from under the tablecloth. The room was full of feet and legs wearing their best shoes. She could hear and feel the confusion as people tried frantically to find someone to thank.

Celeste took a deep breath. She couldn't hide under a table forever. She flipped the tablecloth up and slid out from under the table. When she stood up, she was face-to-face with the one person she had hoped never to meet again.

"What were you doing under that table, young lady?" the man demanded.

Celeste was embarrassed to admit what she had _really _been doing. She thought of a plan very quickly.

"This woman dropped her cubit," Celeste surreptitiously slipped a cubit from her well-stocked pocket. She pressed it into the hand of a woman standing nearby.

"Here you go," Celeste told the very surprised woman.

The woman smiled in a confused way, but she wasn't about to refuse a free cubit, "Thanks…" Then the woman got a better look at Celeste, "Hey, aren't you…"

"You're welcome!" Celeste cried, grabbing the man and dragging him off. She released her grip when she found a sufficiently private corner. Then she glared at the man in astonishment.

"What are you doing here?" Celeste demanded.

The man smiled darkly, "Is this the career you've chosen for yourself? Cubit chasing?"

"It's better than cubit _losing._" Celeste shot back. She was well aware of the man's occupation as a professional gambler.

"Hmm," the man narrowed his eyes at her, "And what was that ridiculous 'speech' about? With that gift of words, you should've been a politician!"

Celeste blinked, "So that's it then. After all these yahrens, we're right back to where we were?" Celeste glared at the man, but there was pain in her eyes. "You know, any father would be proud if their kid became the hero of the colonies. Any father but _you_!" Celeste crossed her arms and turned away, "You will never accept me. You didn't for the one day I saw you since the attack, and you don't now."

The man sighed exasperatedly, " I just wanted you to make something of yourself."

"I have!" Celeste gestured toward the crowd.

"Yes, a fool." The man nodded, glowering, "And fools die young."

"A hero! Ask anyone here!"

"If it weren't for people like you, we wouldn't _need _heroes!" the man roared, visibly riled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Celeste whirled around.

The man waved his hand dismissively, "Never mind, never mind, I've said too much."

"Look mister, _Dad,_ hundreds of soldiers, _people_ _like_ _me_, gave their _lives_ so that you could survive. If it wasn't for them, we'd all be _dead_ by now." Celeste hotly pointed out.

The man who was Celeste's biological father frowned sternly at her, "Don't you EVER speak to me in that tone of voice AGAIN! If your soldier friends hand minded their OWN BUSINESS in the FIRST place, we wouldn't even BE in a war! The Cylons wouldn't be after us…"

"They'd be after us all right." Celeste's blue eyes were dark and stormy, "They hate everything about us. Whether or not we had helped our allies escape Cylon enslavement, it would only be a matter of time until the Colonies would've been attacked."

"Are you contradicting me young lady?" The man lowered his voice a little to keep the crowd from overhearing.

"You bet I am! I am old enough to make my own decisions, and I'm deciding to defend my friends. Against _any_ threat." Celeste declared.

The man grabbed her shoulders, "You will not address me in that way! I am your father!"

Celeste twisted from his grasp, "My father's dead." She said coldly, turning to leave.

"Wait!" the man's voice was commanding, "Where are you going?"

Celeste whirled, eyes flashing, "NOT that it is any of your business, but I am going to find my brother Starbuck and my FRIEND Captain Apollo!"

"No!" The man's voice changed quickly to desperation, "I mean, Starbuck doesn't know…about me…us…yet."

"You're kidding." Celeste stared at the man, "You mean you didn't tell him?"

"Well, yes and no. Sort of, not…the point is, he doesn't know I'm his father. Yet. But I want to be the one to tell him." The man suddenly looked old and tired. Celeste marveled at the quick transformation. Here was a man skilled in manipulation…and used to having things his way.

Celeste shook her head, "You're unbelievable! Don't you think he deserves to know?"

"If I had told him when we first met, he'd have given up his career to be with me. And it just…hasn't come up since then."

"Hasn't come up?" Celeste was frustrated and confused, "And how come you're so worried about Starbuck keeping _his _career?"

"I'm not. I was, but now I know the truth…never mind."

"What are you talking about, the 'truth'?" Celeste asked unbelievingly.

"You…you never listened to me before…why are you so interested in listening now?" The man's face was growing redder.

"What changed your mind?" Celeste demanded stubbornly.

"Promise you won't tell Starbuck about…his father…me?" The man tried to change the subject.

Celeste sighed heavily. Unfortunately, she could see where her ability to get out of tough situations came from.

"Fine, I'll make you a deal." Celeste offered, "I won't tell Starbuck about his father being a scam artist, cheat and a liar if you stay away from me and my friends. Deal?"

The man glared intensely into her eyes.

"Deal."

The shuttle flew smoothly into the _Galactica_'s shuttlebay. As soon as it landed, the hatch opened. Celeste danced out, followed by Apollo, Starbuck, Zac, Boomer, Athena, Cassiopeia, Colonel Tigh, and Commander Adama.

Apollo laughed at Celeste's happy exit, "Glad to be back?"

"There's no place like home!" Celeste flashed him one of her lopsided grins. She was in a much better mood now that she was back on the _Galactica_, far from the over-gratuitous colonists and her father, and back in her flight suit.

"And this hunk of metal is definitely not a place like home," Starbuck joked.

"It has all the comforts of home, though," Celeste remarked.

"A bed to sleep in," Starbuck said.

"Food to eat," Celeste added.

"And plenty of Vipers to fly!" they finished together, laughing.

Apollo walked up beside them, shaking his head, "You two are something else."

"Oh, come on, Apollo," Starbuck grinned, "Surely you and Zac have your moments!"

Apollo pretended to glare, "Zac and I don't…"

"…finish each other's sentences," said Zac, jogging up behind Apollo.

Celeste, Starbuck, Apollo and Zac were silent for a moment before they burst out laughing, all of the stress of the past few sectons finally flooding out in the form of laughter.

"What's going on over here?" Colonel Tigh asked as he and Adama walked over.

The four young pilots stopped, then started laughing even harder. Apollo tried to keep from laughing, but it wasn't working.

"F-family," Celeste gasped out, "is funny!"

Adama hid a smile. Colonel Tigh shook his head, "Those are our _finest _warriors?" he asked as he and Adama made their way to the turbolift, leaving the young warriors dissolving in giggles.

Athena, Cassiopeia, and Boomer approached them. Athena smiled; glad to see that her brothers, Apollo and Zac, were enjoying themselves. Cassiopeia smiled, glad to see Starbuck enjoying himself. Boomer looked amused.

"Are you guys going to stay down here all night?" Athena teased.

Apollo Zac, Starbuck, and Celeste followed the girls and Boomer to the turbolift, grinning.

It had felt good to laugh.

"Once again, you are trying to go off and leave me."

"It's just a routine inspection. This is your secton off!"

Apollo and Celeste were in the officer's lounge. Apollo tried to reason with Celeste. He, Starbuck, and Boomer had been assigned to inspect a few ships that had been salvaged from some wreckage from the dark planet Vaga. With a great deal of persuasion, Zac had managed to get himself assigned to the same mission. Celeste, however, wasn't going anywhere on her secton off. Apollo would enforce that! She deserved a break.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to agree.

"Secton off! What am I supposed to do in a secton off?" Celeste demanded, hands on her hips.

Apollo put his hand calmingly on her shoulder, "Enjoy it." He picked up his helmet and left the lounge.

Celeste let her hands fall down to her sides, "Enjoy it. Right." She looked around. A few warriors were hanging out in the lounge.

"Anyone want to play a game of Pyramid?" Celeste asked.

"With you? No thanks, Lieutenant." One officer shook his head.

"Yeah," said another officer, "We know better than to gamble with you!"

A third warrior agreed, "Sorry, Celeste, it would be faster just to hand you our cubits and save ourselves the trouble of shuffling and dealing."

"Why don't you, then?" Celeste retorted innocently, with a cocky toss of her hair. She sighed. Gambling was never her favorite activity. She hadn't really wanted to play pyramid. She learned to do it well on the casino planet, but it was the only thing to do there. Now that she wasn't on Vaga anymore, she had found other things to occupy her time. Like flying Vipers on missions with Apollo and Starbuck.

Celeste left the lounge in search of something to do.

Walking down the hall, the woman pilot encountered an idea. She shrugged and headed for Apollo's quarters.

She arrived at the door and knocked. There was no answer. Apollo's young son, Boxey, must still be at the learning center. Slightly disappointed, Celeste turned around and leaned on the wall. She tried to think of something to do.

"Miss Celeste! Are you looking for my daddy?"

Celeste jerked up, startled. She relaxed when she saw the little boy standing in Apollo's doorway, and she smiled at Boxey.

"Actually, I was looking for you. Would you like me to show you and Muffit some new tricks?" Celeste asked the boy.

Boxey nodded, smiling broadly, "We'd like that very much, Miss Celeste!" He took her hand, "Muffit!" he called. A mechanical daggit bounced up as though its feet were made of springs. Boxey looked up at Celeste, "Come on, I'll show you where Muffit and I like to play."

Boxey and his faithful daggit led Celeste down the corridor to the turbolift. The little boy pressed a button, and the lift moved.

"You sure know your way around this ship." Celeste remarked.

Boxey nodded, "Yeah, I've lived here almost two yahrens. Grandpa and Dad showed me a lot of it."

The lift stopped. Boxey and Celeste stepped out (Muffit _bounced_ out). Celeste took in a sharp breath. She hadn't known that the _Galactica _had an observation deck!

The large, spacious room was roofed in a clear material, allowing the stars to be seen above rather than beside the room. It was the perspective that was usually seen on planets. Green carpet (simulating grass?) covered the floor, and the walls were lit in an aesthetically pleasing way. A line of solid viewglass set into the outer wall ran the length of the room. Tables were set up next to the viewglass, with a café across from them.

All around the room, people sat, talked, ate, played active games, laughed, and rested. Celeste grinned.

It was the perfect place to play "catch".

Adama sat at his desk in his office. He looked over some paperwork, sighed, and glanced thoughtfully at the collection of pictures lined up on his desk. His wife, who had died during the Cylon attack on his homeworld of Caprica. His daughter, Athena, who worked on the bridge. His oldest son, Apollo, who was every day reminding Adama more and more of himself. His youngest son, Zac, who had recently been rescued from the Cylons. Boxey, Apollo's son by marriage, who had joined the family only two yahrens ago. Boxey's mom, Serina, who had been killed by the Cylons while she was on a mission.

Adama's extended family also sat in frames on his desk. Colonel Tigh, his closest friend. Starbuck, Apollo's best friend. A picture of Starbuck and Apollo smiling in front of a Viper fighter.

It was good to have family. People you can count on.

Colonel Tigh came in.

"Sir! Long range scanners are picking up some unusual readings." Tigh said, "I think it's a ship, sir."

Adama looked up, then stood, "Is it hostile?"

"We don't know. The computers can't match it to anything on record."

"Well," Adama said, "we should take a close look ourselves."

The two commanding officers headed for the bridge.

Sailing over people's heads, the ball whizzed out of control and connected with the viewglass blind control on the port side of the room. Suddenly, alarms went off, lights flashed, and all of the port viewglass blinds simultaneously opened.

Celeste looked surprised, then alarmed. Boxey looked worried. People looked out of the viewglass and stared.

"Are we going to get in trouble, Miss Celeste?" Boxey asked.

Celeste tried to answer, but her response forgot to come. She had caught a glimpse of what the other people were staring at.

And Celeste, unlike anyone else in the entire Colonial fleet, knew what it was.

"The _Silica._" Celeste whispered.

"Get down!" Celeste yelled as the strange object began to glow green. She grabbed Muffit and pushed Boxey ahead of her under a counter in the café. They crammed in just as a massive explosion displaced the stars around the _Galactica_.

As soon as the ground started staying in one spot again, Celeste slid out of the shelter. She had to do something! Boxey began to follow her.

"Stay here, Boxey!" Celeste ordered, "You have to keep Muffit safe!"

Boxey's eyes were round. He nodded, "Don't worry, Muffit, I'll save you!" Muffit whined worriedly.

Celeste left the little boy, praying that nothing would happen to him. She felt bad for leaving, but she had to get to the bridge! There wouldn't be anything left of the fleet unless she told Colonel Tigh or Commander Adama what she knew about the attacker. Celeste dashed to the turbolift.

Another explosion rocked the ship. The turbolift exploded.

"Felgercarb!" Celeste growled, changing course for the emergency ladder. Sparks and debris flew from the direction of the lift.

Celeste noticed that the ladder didn't lead up, only down! On an impulse, Celeste grabbed the ladder bars, clamped her feet on either side of the ladder, and slid down the ladder to a lower level. When her feet touched the ground, she spun around and dashed through the battlestar. Other people dashed around her, heading for their battlestations. Again the ship rocked, nearly knocking Celeste off her feet. She hoped the bridge turbolift was working.

Celeste slid to a stop when she reached the lift. To her horror, the lift tube was filled with rubble!

Athena appeared beside the frustrated Celeste. "They've knocked out all of the turbolifts!" she cried, "They were using some unknown weapon!"

"I hope no one was in there!" Celeste shook her head, "Is there any other way up to the bridge?"

"Just the maintenance shaft. Why?"

Celeste didn't answer. She was staring intently at the turbolift.

"Lt. Celeste?" Athena asked, "What is it?"

Celeste got closer to the rubble filled shaft, "Hear that?"

Athena leaned towards the lift tube and listened hard, but she didn't hear anything, "I don't hear anything," she said.

"I do." Celeste frowned.

"What?"

"Footsteps."

Celeste reached towards the toasted controls. She pulled the cover panel off and began rewiring the circuitry. Athena watched in confused fascination.

Celeste gestured towards Athena's headset, "Do you mind if I borrow that?"

Athena hesitated, then handed the headset to the other young woman. Celeste began wiring it into the turbolift controls. Athena shook her head. _What is this crazy girl up to?_ She wondered.

Celeste turned the earpiece volume up to maximum, then turned the headset's mouthpiece towards herself and spoke.

"If you can hear me, press '1' and talk."

There was a brief silence, then sound crackled from the earpiece.

"We can hear you. We're trapped between levels four and five." Colonel Tigh's voice told the young ladies.

Athena looked surprised. Celeste looked grim.

"Okay, How many people are up there? Is anyone injured?"

The headset crackled again, "Only myself and Commander Adama are up here, and we're fine. There are several people still trapped on the bridge, though."

"I read you, Colonel. Uh, what are your orders, sirs?" Celeste looked a little lost. _A pair of trapped commanding officers? This problem is way out of my league_, Celeste thought.

"Someone has to get up to the bridge and make sure everything is all right up there." Colonel Tigh said.

"I could try to go up the maintenance shaft, It's dark, but it's the only option left, other than the air ducting."

Commander Adama's voice came over the headset now, "Do it. Are any of the captains on board?"

Athena answered him, "Yes, sir, but all turbolifts are down."

"Okay, Athena. I want you to use the security room to monitor the ship. Report back if anything happens."

"Yes, sir." Athena hurried off.

"Lieutenant Celeste, are you still there?"

"Yes, sir." Celeste answered.

" I want you to take command of the bridge."

"Sir?" Celeste gasped, alarmed. She heard Colonel Tigh's voice echo hers in the background noise from the earpiece.

"Only temporarily, Lieutenant. With all of the higher ranking officers gone, and with your instincts, you are our best hope." Adama explained, hearing the question in the young pilot's voice.

Celeste was overwhelmed, "Commander, I've never flown a battlestar before! Up until a few sectons ago, I'd never set foot in one!"

Adama's voice calmly replied, "If you have any questions, I will tell you what to do. You'll do fine."

Celeste gulped. As if to voice it's own concern, the _Galactica _shuddered violently. Celeste grabbed the edge of the turbolift tube for balance.

"This is the only way out of this, isn't it?" she sighed when the floor was still again.

"I'm afraid so," said Adama gravely.

"Okay, sir, I'll head up to the bridge and see what I can do."

"Good luck, Lieutenant."

Celeste left the area, heading for the maintenance shaft.

Up in the turbolift, the two senior officers of the battlestar _Galactica _stood. Tigh looked uncertainly at Adama.

"Do you really think it's wise, trusting the battlestar, and the fate of the entire fleet, to the hands of that girl? Adama, she _can _be unpredictable. What if something happens?"

Adama frowned thoughtfully, "Something has happened. The fleet has been attacked by an unknown force. The _Galactica _has been partially disabled, and all of our senior officers are unable to take command. We didn't really have a choice." Adama tried to smile at his concerned friend, "Don't worry, Tigh. She may be unpredictable, but she is a trained Colonial Warrior. We trust her with the protection of the fleet, We can trust her to follow orders for as long as they are relevant."

"For as long as they are relevant?" Tigh didn't like the sound of that.

"Colonel," Adama sighed, "There are times, like this one, when conventional rules and regulations may not work."

Colonel Tigh's gaze shifted to the control pad of the turbolift, "Yeah, you're right."

On the reassembled passenger liner, _Icarus, _near the bridge room, Apollo strode up to Starbuck. There was an urgency in his footsteps that made Starbuck turn around quickly.

"Lieutenant! The _Galactica _is under attack!" Apollo told him.

Starbuck was understandably alarmed, "Is it the Cylons?"

"No one seems to know who or what it is. We haven't been able to contact the _Galactica _to find out what's going on," Apollo breathlessly explained.

"Well, maybe we should get over there and see what's going on!" Starbuck sprang into action, ready to head full throttle to the intership shuttle they had arrived on.

"Wait, "Apollo stopped him, "The _Galactica _is under fire. If we went in a shuttle, we could be blasted out of the sky as soon as we reached the battlestar. That wouldn't do anyone any good," he pointed out.

"What are we going to do, then? Our Vipers are on the _Galactica_!" Starbuck asked desperately.

Apollo sighed, "There's not much we can do until we make contact."

"Do we know if the squadrons have launched?" .

Apollo shook his head, "We can hope."

Starbuck nodded, "Commander Adama would've launched them."

"As long as the bays are operational." Apollo added, "The _Galactica _comm. system seems to be down. We don't know if any system on board is working."

"I don't like this, Apollo. Something's really not right about this." Starbuck said.

Apollo frowned, "I agree."

"Captain! We have picked up an audio transmission from the _Galactica_!" One of the _Icarus_'s bridge crew called out to Apollo.

Apollo and Starbuck went to the bridge. Apollo nodded to the bridge member, "Let's hear it."

The bridge crew member pressed a button on a console. The message began with static. Then a female voice began speaking.

"Ships in the Colonial Fleet, this is the _Galactica_. We are under attack. Repeat, the _Galactica_ is under heavy attack. By order of Commander Adama, all ships in the fleet are to find refuge immediately. Leave the area, the _Galactica _is currently the only target, but that may not last long. Leave the area _immediately_. We will join you as soon as circumstances permit. _Galactica_ out."

Starbuck looked at Apollo, "That was Celeste!" he cried.

"Yeah," Apollo looked at his friend, "It was. But, why is _she _sending a transmission to the fleet? The Commander usually does that himself."

"I don't know, Apollo. Like I said, there's something _strange_ going on around here." Starbuck shook his head.

"Can we establish a link with the _Galactica_?" Apollo asked the bridge crew member.

"We'll try, sir," the bridge crew member answered.

"Lieutenant! Captain Apollo on board the _Icarus _wishes to speak to Commander Adama," announced one of the _Galactica_ bridge crew members.

Celeste walked over to the monitor. Apollo's face appeared.

"Lieutenant, where is Commander Adama?" Apollo asked.

Celeste tried to keep from looking as worried as she felt, "In the turbolift, sir," she answered.

"May I speak to him as soon as he gets to the bridge?"

"Sure, if you don't mind waiting a few centares."

Apollo's face showed his deep concern, "I see. Where is Colonel Tigh?"

"With your dad in the turbolift."

"Who is in command, then?" Apollo asked, determined to find out.

Celeste took a deep breath, "I am."

"We're doomed!" Starbuck's voice said off-screen.

"I heard that!" Celeste said, "And for your information, I receive all orders from Commander Adama before telling them to the crew."

Starbuck moved to stand skeptically behind Apollo, "I thought you said he was in the turbolift."

"I rigged a headset to the lift controls. I can speak to him from Level Two." Celeste looked distracted.

Apollo saw her stagger as the screen blinked.

"Lieutenant! Are you all right?" Apollo demanded. He saw that Celeste was looking elsewhere. She glanced back at him. He saw her bite her lip. For a moment, their eyes locked. A message passed between them that no one else could understand.

The _Galactica_ rocked again, and the connection terminated.

Apollo walked to a viewglass and looked out. In the distance, he could see the _Galactica _still vibrating from the hit. _Boxey's on that ship. _Apollo thought sadly, _And so is my dad. And Athena. And…Celeste. Many of the people I care about are in danger, and there's nothing I can do about it. At least Zac is here on the _Icarus_ with me… _

Starbuck joined Apollo at the viewglass, interrupting his captain's thoughts.

"There's gotta be something we can do," Starbuck said.

Apollo looked grim, "There is. We can hope that Celeste can hold everything together."

Celeste narrowed her blue eyes at the scanner image of the attacking ship. She was having a hard time holding everything together. This ship was the reason.

So far, no one except Celeste knew for sure what the ship was. Other people had probably suspected…but she alone was certain. For Celeste, one glimpse from the observation deck had been enough to identify the ship's origin. It was a design she was familiar with. It was a design she had seen illegally while she had been held captive on the Cylon basestar. When she had been caught viewing extremely secret Cylon files, the Cylons hadn't dealt kindly with her. But she had been able to access them long enough to know about the Cylon's deadly new weapon.

Now, the information she had obtained would give her an advantage. She must find a way to destroy the ship before it destroyed the entire fleet. And Celeste alone knew its weakness.

Another explosion rocked the bridge.

"How many's that?" Celeste asked.

One of the bridge officers turned, "That was the seventh explosion, Lieutenant."

"Good," Celeste said. _They'll need to recharge after the eighth weapons fire. They'll move just out of range of our weapons and divert all power to their weapons rechargers. Then they'll be ours. _

_So what do we have? Ok, we have all the power in this battlestar, plus the fighter firepower. How can I channel it? Hmm, _channel_ it…_

"Does this thing have an emitter dish?" Celeste asked, unsure whether they had even heard of one.

The comm. officer responded, "Yes, but only for communications."

Celeste narrowed her eyes again, "How much power can it transmit?"

"A maximum of 250 aegis, according to the records."

Celeste thought disappointedly, _Not even enough to scratch the metallic surface of that ship. Unless…_

"Communications, huh? Ok, let's communicate," Celeste muttered to herself. She asked, " Are the Viper pilots able to get to their ships?"

One bridge officer pushed some buttons, "Yes, they are, Lieutenant."

"Then tell them to prepare to launch." Celeste turned to the person at the energy console, "Divert all nonessential power to the communications conduit, 250 aegis at a time." Mind in full gear, she turned back to the comm. officer, "Get ready to transmit on all Cylon frequencies when I tell you to."

The officers turned to their tasks.

The eighth green glow exploded against the _Galactica._

"Launch fighters!" Celeste ordered, a grin almost escaping. Part of her had always wanted to say that. The other part of her wished that _she _was flying the Viper.

Celeste heard the core systems officer say, "Core systems transferring control to Viper fighters. Launch when ready."

Automatically, Celeste's finger twitched, as though pressing an unseen "turbo" button.

"Negative shield!" Celeste said. The shield on the front viewglass of the _Galactica _bridge opened. Beyond the viewglass, there were squadrons of Vipers flying away in formation toward an enormous, retreating silver ship.

"Tell the pilots not to fire until I tell them to," Celeste remembered to say. _I sure hope this works,_ she thought.

She hesitated, for a millicenton.

Then she gave the order.

"Fire!"

A seemingly small blast of energy emanated from the battlestar. Simultaneously, all of the Vipers fired. The silver ship glowed red. The Vipers turboed away.

The silver ship exploded.

Celeste breathed a sigh of relief. It was gone; it was over. The Cylon prototype ship, the _Silica_. The first and last of its kind. Once again, the fleet was safe.

At least, safer than it had been a few centons ago.

"BY YOUR COMMAND."

A Cylon entered Baltar's dark command chamber. Baltar turned his curved throne around smoothly. His black cape fluttered around him, and the floor illuminators lit Baltar's face from below, causing him to look even more evil than usual.

"Speak, Centurion. Is the _Galactica _ours yet?" Baltar asked, evil black hope in his eyes.

The Cylon looked as sheepish as a Cylon could look.

"NOT YET, OUR FORCES HAVE BEEN ENCOUNTERING…DIFFICULTIES."

Balter sat forward in his throne, surprised and vastly disappointed. This is not what he had wanted to hear. He wanted victory! Revenge! NOT another failure! Calmly, he addressed the Cylon again.

"Difficulties? Like what?"

"THE DESTRUCTION EFFORT WAS HINDERED BY AN ANOMALY."

Baltar would have sworn that the Cylon was choosing its words diplomatically, though diplomacy wasn't exactly in its programming.

Overly annoyed, Baltar asked, "What 'anomaly'?"

"A HUMAN FEMALE. SHE WAS THE CAPTURED WHO LED THE ESCAPE AND PARTIAL DESTRUCTION OF BASESTAR 044321. NOW SHE ASSISTS THE _GALACTICA_."

"Surely, she is no match for the _Silica_." Baltar relaxed in his chair with this confident thought.

"SHE HAS DESTROYED THE _SILICA._." The Cylon responded.

"WHAT?" Baltar yelled, shocked. No longer in control, he added, "HOW?"

"SHE WAS AWARE OF ITS WEAKNESS,"

Baltar looked suspicious. "How do you know it was this human female who…betrayed us?" His voice was trying to rein in his anger.

"SHE WAS THE ONLY HUMAN WHO ACESSED THAT INFORMATION,"

"I see." Baltar looked coldly down at the Cylon, "And what is this human called?"

"ACCORDING TO RECORDS,SHE IS CALLED LT.CELESTE."

Baltar was silent a moment. Not a name he recognized. _How can one girl botch up the complicated plans of an empire so frequently and thoroughly? Because she has inside information, information that no human (excluding my glorious self) should have._

More to himself than to the Cylon, Baltar growled, "I want this Lt. Celeste!"

_She has halted my subjugation of humankind for the _last_ time! And soon, she will pay…soon…_

"That will be all." Baltar waved his hand dismissively when he remembered the Cylon standing near his pedestal.

"BY YOUR COMMAND." The Cylon left.

Baltar resumed plotting evilly.

Repair operations had already begun on board the _Galactica_. Some people swept up dust, others patched up electrical systems. The electricians working on the turbolifts were especially baffled by a headset hard-wired into the turbolift controls. Teams of men moved the rubble from the turbolift shafts.

"Don't worry, Commander! The turbolift will be working again shortly!" the workers called up the shaft.

But when the lift finally lowered down, it wasn't Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh who stepped out. It was Celeste.

"Where's the Commander?" one of the baffled men asked.

"He's on the bridge," Celeste answered, "where he belongs."

The workers looked at the turbolift they had just labored to fix, "But how?"

Celeste just grinned and winked her blue eyes. She strode off down the hall, leaving the confused men behind.

Riding down the shuttlebay turbolift, Celeste shook her head. Those men might be surprised when they found out what she'd done to the bridge turbolift controls to get them working again. She hoped that Colonel Tigh wouldn't miss his chair too much.

Celeste stepped off the turbolift just as a shuttle touched down in the bay. She watched as the hatch opened and people began to get out.

Zac, Boomer, and Starbuck were first. Then Apollo emerged. The four guys walked hastily toward the turbolift (and Celeste).

"Congratulations, Lieutenant." Boomer shook her hand when he reached her.

"Yeah," added Zac, " that was amazing commanding!"

Celeste forced herself to smile, "Thanks." She wondered if she was going to have to endure the grateful fleet all over again.

"My little sister, the fleet commander!" Starbuck shook his head, "Never thought I'd see it happen! Course, I never thought I'd have a little sister, either!" Starbuck tried to ruffle Celeste's hair as he passed her.

"Starbuck!" Celeste giggled, grabbing his hand and pushing him playfully away.

"Ow!" Starbuck yelped fakely, "Hey! Be nice to me! I'm older and wiser than you!"

"By one yahren!" Celeste retorted, laughing and shaking her head.

Apollo approached her, "I thought you said that you didn't want to be a commander!" he teased.

Celeste rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, your dad can keep his job. I prefer Vipers."

"What," Apollo jested, "you didn't enjoy flying a battlestar?"

Celeste made a face, "It handles like an asteroid!"

Apollo smiled, "How's Boxey? Have you seen him?"

"Uh," Celeste's eyes widened, "Yeah, last I saw, he was in the observation lounge."

"Well, then, let's go." Apollo led her to the lift.

Apollo and Celeste glanced around the observation lounge. The place was a mess! Apollo looked at Celeste. Celeste gulped.

"He was right over there," Celeste pointed to the counter where she had last seen the little boy and his daggit. _Boxey, where are you?_ She thought desperately, _If I've lost Apollo's son…_

A daggit barked.

"And there he is!" Celeste gestured toward the daggit sound. Boxey and Muffit appeared to be playing hide and seek in some fallen potted plants. Boxey looked up and waved. Apollo and Celeste walked to where the boy and daggit had been playing.

Boxey looked at Apollo and then looked down sadly.

"Hi, Boxey, what's wrong?" Apollo asked the boy.

"Hi, Dad." Boxey said, "I'm sorry."

Apollo put his hands on Boxey's shoulders and squatted down, "What are you sorry for?"

"Well," Boxey's eyes remained on the floor, "Miss Celeste and I were playing ball, and it hit some buttons and alarms went off and the turbolift blew up."

Apollo looked up at Celeste, who raised her eyebrows.

"And then the battlestar got broken. Daddy, am I in big trouble?" Boxey looked up, looking very worried.

"No, Boxey, you're not in trouble." Apollo reassured the boy, "The ball had nothing to do with the turbolifts or the _Galactica._"

"Really?" Boxey smiled, "Oh, that's a relief!"

Celeste smiled at Boxey, "It would take more than a ball to break a battlestar," she said.

Boxey nodded, "That's good, because then Daddy couldn't play triad. There's a lot of balls in that game!"

Apollo ruffled Boxey's hair. Boxey giggled, ducked, and resumed play with Muffit.

"I can't see a thing!" Celeste groped for a wall.

"That's the point!" Starbuck grinned.

Starbuck, Apollo, and Zac were leading Celeste blindfolded to show her something that they were giving her as a "thank you for saving the fleet again" present.

Celeste tried to peek under the blindfold at the floor. She wanted to make certain that it was staying under her feet.

"No peeking!" Zac warned.

"You guys better keep me from running into anything!" Celeste shook her head, promptly bumping into Apollo. He caught her and helped her find the wall.

"Hey, don't worry, we're getting close!" Starbuck told her.

Celeste nearly caught the anticipation building in her friends. She abruptly quit getting excited when she nearly fell over.

Finally, the four pilots stopped.

"You can look now." Apollo said.

Celeste pulled the blindfold off and caught her balance. She looked around, confused.

"It's a maintenance bay." Celeste said unenthusiastically.

"A _secondary _maintenance bay." Starbuck corrected.

Celeste exaggeratedly raised her eyebrows, "Ahh, I see." She wrinkled her nose, "That explains everything."

"Hold your horsids," Starbuck said, " We had to get special permission from the commander to give this to you!"

"Wow, I've never been given a maintenance bay before!" Celeste teased, "I mean, _secondary _maintenance bay," she corrected herself, "It's just what I've always wanted!"

Zac groaned, "The _bay _isn't what we're giving you! We're giving you…"

"Boomer's bringing it in right now." Apollo interrupted before Zac let the catis out of the bag.

Celeste's eyes widened when she saw what was approaching the bay, from _outside _of the _Galactica_. Impossibly slowly.

It flew gracefully out of the stars, seeming to dance up to the battlestar. The object glided into the bay. Celeste leaned forward in anticipation. Apollo grabbed her elbow to prevent her from falling over.

"You're giving me a…" Celeste gasped.

The flying object slid to a stop. The door fell off.

Boomer stepped shakily out of the odd yellow craft. As he walked towards Apollo, Celeste, Zac, and Starbuck, he seemed glad to be leaving it behind.

"Ship." Celeste finished weakly. Her best friends were rewarding her with the oldest, most dilapidated shuttle in the fleet.

Boomer nodded, "She's all yours, Lieutenant. Good luck." He joined the other young men in watching Celeste blink at her new possession.

Celeste had the feeling he meant it when he wished her luck.

"Um, I…don't know what to say, guys." Celeste truthfully told them.

"We knew you had a history with this particular vehicle," Apollo smiled.

"Yeah," Starbuck added, "And we wanted to give you something that would be…meaningful."

Boomer shook his head, "In other words, this was the best we could do."

Celeste looked at her friends' smiling faces, then she looked at her rusty chunk of yellow metal. The ship chose that exact moment to collapse off its landing gear. The girl pilot smiled lopsidedly, and a little skeptically, at her four best friends, "Thanks, guys."

Apollo stepped forward, "Actually, it's more of a job than a gift."

Celeste turned her head curiously, "What do you mean?"

Starbuck nodded at Apollo, "He's right, that ship is on its last legs…uh, landing gear…well, not anymore…but…"

Zac rescued the stammering Starbuck, "The ship needs serious work, as you can see."

Celeste grimaced at the ship, "She's not called _The Lemon_ for nothing."

"Why is she called _The Lemon_?" Starbuck asked.

Celeste shrugged, "A lemon is a sour yellow exotic fruit. Legend has it that it grows on faraway planets."

"That seems to fit it." Starbuck nodded, "It is yellow, and sour."

Celeste eyed her ship, "There isn't any other ship like it, that's for sure." The young woman sighed, "But she did get me to the Cylon basestar, and she did make it back."

"Barely." Zac added.

"Still, pretty good for an old, decommissioned shuttle." Boomer remarked.

Starbuck smiled proudly at Celeste, "I think that had more to do with the pilot."

Celeste blushed.

"So, do you think you can get it flying again?" Apollo asked _The Lemon_'s new owner.

Celeste scrutinized the old shuttle.

"Sure," she said finally, "but it'll take some time. And I'll need a place to do it. And some tools and spare parts." She watched the craft make one final shudder, "Make that a _lot _of spare parts."

"Why do you think we chose a _secondary_ maintenance bay?" Zac asked.

Apollo looked at Celeste, "Will two sectons be enough time?"

Then Celeste had to grin. She knew what they were up to! They were trying to get her to take a few weeks off. But Celeste couldn't resist the challenge of refitting, no, re_building_ the old ship.

"That will be plenty of time." Celeste answered optimistically. She looked directly into Apollo's eyes, and she discovered that she couldn't look away.

Not that she wanted to.

Apollo seemed to have the same problem.

Boomer politely ushered Starbuck and Zac out of the maintenance bay, leaving Apollo and Celeste alone.

Celeste finally looked down, suddenly uncomfortable to be looking and feeling that way about her captain. She turned instead to running her eyes over _The Lemon._

Apollo walked up beside her.

"Celeste."

She looked up uncertainly.

"Are…you sure that you like your present?" Apollo asked, searching her face for disappointment. He found none.

Celeste smiled, sending a glow through the brightly lit bay.

"Of course! I've always wanted to have a chance to do something like this!" She hugged herself in the cold bay as she viewed her new "project" and wished that she'd worn her warm flight jacket.

Apollo instinctively put his arms around the cold Celeste. She instinctively snuggled into them, without taking her eyes off the ship.

Then she noticed Apollo's strong arms around her shoulders. She felt like she should mind this, but she didn't want to. Celeste relaxed into the embrace, closing her eyes and letting her mind experiment with the idea of being loved.

They stood that way for a while, Apollo with Celeste in his arms. Then she turned around and gently pushed him away.

"No," she said, "this can't really be…it can't." She walked a little ways away, not facing Apollo, afraid her face would betray her innermost emotions to the handsome young pilot.

Apollo watched her, "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Celeste said in a small voice, "It's not you…it's me…us…them…I don't know." Celeste finally turned to Apollo. He caught a glimpse of wetness running down her cheek before she wiped it away.

"Celeste, you can tell me what's wrong." Apollo wanted to comfort her, "I'm your friend. I'm here for you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she repeated. She realized that didn't make sense, "Everything." That still didn't make sense, "It's all…so wonderful…I can't help wondering…and being afraid of…when things will turn bad again." Celeste sighed, "That sounds really stupid."

"No it doesn't." Apollo shook his head, "That's the way life is. It's good for a while, then bad, then good again." He walked over to stand next to the distraught young woman, "It's perfectly natural to be unsure of the unknown."

Celeste looked up, brows furrowed. Apparently Adama's son had inherited his ability to read minds. Celeste gazed confusedly, desperately at Apollo. What was he trying to tell her?

Apollo put his hands on Celeste's shoulders, unaware of the tingling effect this produced for Celeste.

"But don't worry. Whatever tomorrow brings for us to face, we face it together. From now on."

Celeste almost smiled, "Yeah?"

"It's a promise," Apollo nodded, "We're Colonial Warriors, we've got to stick together!"

The mischievious glint had returned to Celeste's eyes, "Even when faced with taking two sectons off? And fixing _The Lemon_?"

"Yeah," Apollo had to smile, "Even that!"

"Well, I guess there's only one thing to do," Celeste sighed at her ship.

"What?"

"When life gives you _Lemon_s, make lemonade!"


End file.
